The dissertation is devoted to the solution of the urgent problem of creating a system of social work for adolescents who use drugs in order to preserve their health on the basis of day centers. The relevance of addressing this topic is due to the significant spread of drug use practices among minors and the spread of other interrelated types of risky behaviors among adolescents.
Based on the analysis of the legal framework and individual practical experience of working with adolescents who use drugs, it is established that a lack of the official recognition of the importance of the problem of narcotization among minors leads to a lack of objective information about the real picture of illicit drug use by adolescents. In turn, this slows down the development of programs and standards on the provision of necessary services for adolescents who use drugs, causing a lack of specialists competent in this field.
It is also proved that in modern conditions the search of ways to solve the problem of drug addiction among adolescents should take place not only in the medical and psychological field, but also in terms of expanding the range of qualitative social and socio-pedagogical services that are based on the needs of minors. Nowadays it is important to introduce radically new approaches to solving the problem of narcotization among minors, which suggest, as opposed to coercive medical and legal measures against people who use drugs, application of soft practices of gradual change of worldview and values, empowerment, enrichment of social experience that reduce the impact of the negative consequences of their risky behavior. One of such approaches with the proven evidence of success in tackling the spread of HIV among people who use drugs is «harm reduction from the consequences of risky behavior».
The study noted that the current needs of adolescents who use drugs to full access to social services aimed at harm reduction from drug use are basically not satisfied in Ukrainian society, as social services and medical institutions do not provide specific health preserving services to adolescents who have experience in drug use. More than five years of experience working in the day center give reasons to assert that adolescents themselves are not yet ready to turn to drug related harm reduction services into state institutions and establishments of local government.
A package of services tailored to the needs of adolescents who use drugs can be provided by day centers operating on the basis of anonymity and confidentiality. The flexible, needs-oriented concept of such centers promotes building of trust among adolescents and creates a safe space for them, provides ample opportunities for the development and implementation of a system of social work on harm reduction from drug use among adolescents. Day centers occupy a niche in the system of social services for children and youth, providing social support, rehabilitation services from drug addiction, effective referral system, etc., which indicates the relevance of the problem raised in the study.
The scientific novelty of the study is that for the first time it was theoretically substantiated, developed and experimentally tested the system of social work on harm reduction from drug use among adolescents in day centers. This system is interpreted as a set of different components (value and motivational; subject and objective; program-targeted, monitoring and evaluational, environmental, organizational and functional), which provides adolescents a range of needs-oriented services in day centers, helps to preserve their health and reduce risks by stimulating the gradual personal growth of adolescents. The features of social work on harm reduction from drug use among adolescents were determined (focus on taking into account the needs of adolescents, transparent information about the risks of drug use, the use of referral algorithms between different service providers, the use of interactive and online forms of work, creating a safe place to work with adolescent who use drugs etc.).
